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| Photo credit to USA Today |
It is no secret that until his Tommy John surgery that prematurely finished his breakout 2013, Matt Harvey was perhaps the most dominant pitcher that year. Of course, his surgery forced him to miss all of last season as well, albeit with quite a bit of resistance on his part.
I normally would praise a player for being as hellbent on returning from injury as Harvey was, but if the first conversation you have with management after a major surgery is that you need to miss the season, you have to listen to them. Simply put, whether he likes it or not, they are his bosses and they also know that since he is a major asset to them, he should not be putting himself and the team at risk by pitching in a season where they would not have contended for the playoffs anyway.
The fact that he tried to clash with management and force his way into prematurely returning was unnecessary and could have resulted in a toxic relationship (which is the last thing either side would want). To me, this could either be something that is brushed aside, or one of the many red flags for more conflict to follow.
There are plenty of reasons to think that this is not a big deal and can be swept under the rug. However, there are also a few things that don't seem like a huge deal on the surface, but when they are pieced together they come off as major warning signs. Of course there is the issue of Harvey's clashes with Mets manager Terry Collins, as well as that whole thing with the photoshoot. Oh, and who can forget the whole Twitter debacle.
I get the fact that these all are simple things on their own, but these decisions would usually be carried on by a young kid who is still learning in the Major Leagues and can be forgiven. In this case though, these are all being committed by a guy who is going to be expected to lead a team on the rise as their ace, and the potential face of the franchise for years to come. Nothing against Harvey because he is a free man and can do as he pleases, but in regards of being "the man", you wouldn't see David Wright, Joe Mauer or Derek Jeter doing all of these things.
It seems to me that as electric as Matt Harvey is on the field, he may be causing far too many headlines for the wrong reasons. However, I still have faith that Harvey can keep the fire he has showed on the mound while staying out of trouble off the field. To me, that is one of the main qualities that will prove whether Matt Harvey is simply a front of the rotation starter, or one of the few aces in baseball. A front of the rotation starter is incredibly important to a teams success because he still pitches very effectively, but he can't lead a group of twenty four other players like an ace can.
Of course, there is also the inevitable question of can Harvey rediscover his form. It is no secret that his innings are going to have to be limited, and there very likely will be rust in Spring Training and perhaps in April as well. However, when it comes to his on the field results, I am fully confident that Harvey will get back to form.
To me, it is not as much of a question of can Matt Harvey gain his form back as much as what his long term future with the Mets is. There also comes the issue of whether the Mets will be willing to pay up for Matt Harvey in the next few years.
This is an issue that is so far ahead into the future, but if the Mets organization wants to stay ahead of the game, they need to assess the current situation regarding the question I asked before, what is Matt Harvey's long term future with the Mets?
As much as Matt Harvey is an important piece to the Mets future, they do have a lot of young pitchers who also possess high ceilings as front of the rotation starters in Zack Wheeler, Jacob Degrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and even Marcos Molina. I didn't even mention the other names the Mets have in their organization that could at worst develop into solid back of the rotation to mid rotation starters.
The point is that if the Mets decided that moving Matt Harvey before he either becomes too expensive, too much of a headache or both, they can get away with it because they have continuously developed a streamline of young pitching talent that could replace the Harvey sized vacancy.
I don't want you to think that I want Matt Harvey to leave (I own several Harvey jerseys and shirts), I am simply stating that it is important for Sandy Alderson and company to think objectively about their options regarding Harvey.
The realistic best case scenario is that Matt Harvey has a solid 2015, and is able to know when to hold himself back and when to let his inner fire out. It seems as if he is starting to do just that, but we will see if this continues as the season progresses. If this continues, I have no doubt Harvey will not only be the ace to lead the Mets for years to come, but perhaps emerge as one of the best pitchers they have ever had. However, then the ball would be in the Mets court to pay him accordingly.
On the other hand, Matt Harvey can also become a headache to the team, and eventually the team makes it public that they want to move him much like the Red Sox with Manny Ramirez. However, I am simply presenting possibilities, so it is probably best to take the approach of crossing that bridge when they get there.
The problem with that train of thought though, is that by the time they get to that bridge, Harvey may already be on the first bridge out of Queens. So to prevent something like that from happening, the Mets need to make a decision, is Matt Harvey their ace of the future, or a trade piece that will net them a massive return?
I normally would praise a player for being as hellbent on returning from injury as Harvey was, but if the first conversation you have with management after a major surgery is that you need to miss the season, you have to listen to them. Simply put, whether he likes it or not, they are his bosses and they also know that since he is a major asset to them, he should not be putting himself and the team at risk by pitching in a season where they would not have contended for the playoffs anyway.
The fact that he tried to clash with management and force his way into prematurely returning was unnecessary and could have resulted in a toxic relationship (which is the last thing either side would want). To me, this could either be something that is brushed aside, or one of the many red flags for more conflict to follow.
There are plenty of reasons to think that this is not a big deal and can be swept under the rug. However, there are also a few things that don't seem like a huge deal on the surface, but when they are pieced together they come off as major warning signs. Of course there is the issue of Harvey's clashes with Mets manager Terry Collins, as well as that whole thing with the photoshoot. Oh, and who can forget the whole Twitter debacle.
I get the fact that these all are simple things on their own, but these decisions would usually be carried on by a young kid who is still learning in the Major Leagues and can be forgiven. In this case though, these are all being committed by a guy who is going to be expected to lead a team on the rise as their ace, and the potential face of the franchise for years to come. Nothing against Harvey because he is a free man and can do as he pleases, but in regards of being "the man", you wouldn't see David Wright, Joe Mauer or Derek Jeter doing all of these things.
It seems to me that as electric as Matt Harvey is on the field, he may be causing far too many headlines for the wrong reasons. However, I still have faith that Harvey can keep the fire he has showed on the mound while staying out of trouble off the field. To me, that is one of the main qualities that will prove whether Matt Harvey is simply a front of the rotation starter, or one of the few aces in baseball. A front of the rotation starter is incredibly important to a teams success because he still pitches very effectively, but he can't lead a group of twenty four other players like an ace can.
Of course, there is also the inevitable question of can Harvey rediscover his form. It is no secret that his innings are going to have to be limited, and there very likely will be rust in Spring Training and perhaps in April as well. However, when it comes to his on the field results, I am fully confident that Harvey will get back to form.
To me, it is not as much of a question of can Matt Harvey gain his form back as much as what his long term future with the Mets is. There also comes the issue of whether the Mets will be willing to pay up for Matt Harvey in the next few years.
This is an issue that is so far ahead into the future, but if the Mets organization wants to stay ahead of the game, they need to assess the current situation regarding the question I asked before, what is Matt Harvey's long term future with the Mets?
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| Degrom and the other young pitchers in the Mets organization can easily fill the massive void if Harvey left Courtesy of Bleacher Report |
The point is that if the Mets decided that moving Matt Harvey before he either becomes too expensive, too much of a headache or both, they can get away with it because they have continuously developed a streamline of young pitching talent that could replace the Harvey sized vacancy.
I don't want you to think that I want Matt Harvey to leave (I own several Harvey jerseys and shirts), I am simply stating that it is important for Sandy Alderson and company to think objectively about their options regarding Harvey.
The realistic best case scenario is that Matt Harvey has a solid 2015, and is able to know when to hold himself back and when to let his inner fire out. It seems as if he is starting to do just that, but we will see if this continues as the season progresses. If this continues, I have no doubt Harvey will not only be the ace to lead the Mets for years to come, but perhaps emerge as one of the best pitchers they have ever had. However, then the ball would be in the Mets court to pay him accordingly.
On the other hand, Matt Harvey can also become a headache to the team, and eventually the team makes it public that they want to move him much like the Red Sox with Manny Ramirez. However, I am simply presenting possibilities, so it is probably best to take the approach of crossing that bridge when they get there.
The problem with that train of thought though, is that by the time they get to that bridge, Harvey may already be on the first bridge out of Queens. So to prevent something like that from happening, the Mets need to make a decision, is Matt Harvey their ace of the future, or a trade piece that will net them a massive return?
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